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THE SCIENCE COUNCIL

Ilia Karatsoreos, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Sleep and Performance Research Center, Washington State University

AREAS OF ACADEMIC & RESEARCH INTEREST

Sleep and circadian rhythms

Metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes

Neurobehavioral effects of stress

Neural plasticity and cognitive function

Circadian (daily) rhythms are evolutionarily ancient, present in almost all organisms and regulate nearly every biological process. In our modern industrialized society, we have altered the relationship between our circadian rhythms and the day-night cycle. In many cases we are active long into the night and sleep during the day. In extreme cases, such as shift-workers and trans-meridian air travellers (e.g. jet-lag), overriding circadian rhythms can be more than just a nuisance. Chronically, this can lead to heath problems, including development of metabolic syndrome, increased risk of heart disease, higher incidences of certain types of cancer, disrupted immune responses, and increased risk of suffering from a major depressive syndrome.

Dr. Karatsoreos’ current research focuses on the relationship between circadian rhythms, sleep, and mental and physical health. It highlights how circadian rhythms modulate physiology and behaviour, as well as how disrupting them can produce physiological and behavioural abnormalities that change an organism’s susceptibility to further environmental or psychological stress. It is hoped these models will provide an understanding of how dysregulation of the body’s timing and metabolic systems interact to produce changes in behaviour and physiology, and will potentially lead to new clinical interventions to alleviate some of the physical and mental health consequences of our modern lifestyles.

"Scientific research is like exploration, and as explorers we have a duty to share what we discover with society as a whole. An important reason for this open communication is to translate scientific findings into evidence based interventions and countermeasures to improve the health and wellbeing of the wider public."